£18m Leeds United transfer decision explained with key Daniel Farke role & 'right step' admission

Noah Okafor was convinced to swap AC Milan for Leeds United after a ‘really impressive’ meeting with Daniel Farke - and his decision has been vindicated.

Okafor was the marquee attacking arrival following Championship promotion last summer, leaving Italian giants Milan in a deal worth up to £18million. The Swiss international impressed in a pre-season friendly against Daniel Farke’s side in Dublin before joining forces with his one-time opponents.

After a careful introduction to the intense Premier League, Okafor hit form with six goals and three assists in 10 games - including a historic brace at Manchester United in April - before injury ended his campaign. The 26-year-old currently has one goal and one assist across all competitions this season.

Discussing the process that led to his Elland Road move on the Official Leeds United podcast, Okafor revealed how Milan were keen to keep him on board after an impressive pre-season. But the winger was eventually put in contact with Farke who laid out his plans for the 2025/26 campaign.

“I had good times in Milan but in the end, it was a little bit difficult because the league is different and I didn't play as much as I expected,” he said. “Then there was a new coach. I had a really good pre-season and the coach wanted to keep me.

“But then I had some offers from the Premier League and around the world. I spoke to my agent because they said the coach from Milan wanted me to stay, and then we played Leeds in Dublin. I think one or two weeks before, they already contacted my agent, so they are interested but I didn't think so much about that.

“I just tried to give my best on the pitch, and tried to be focused. After the Dublin game we came to London because the next day we played Chelsea and after this, we had three days off. I stayed in London with my friends and then my agent called me.

“I was in London. I went to dinner and they called me again and said ‘the coach wants to speak to you’. Then they did a Zoom meeting to explain everything to me, the history and their plans for the next year and stuff. It was really impressive.”

Okafor was Leeds’ ninth signing of the summer, following the likes of Anton Stach, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jaka Bijol. And the Swiss international could see the potential of the squad he was joining despite it only just coming up from the Championship.

“At this point, they’d just got promoted and you may not be so sure,” he added. “But for me, it was clear. They said they did some more signings, the coach had a clear plan with me, spoke to me, and I had a really good feeling. My feeling said it's the right club for me because I want to play and put everything on the pitch so I can grow more and more.

“I think this happens now and for this, I'm really, really happy. After I came, I felt really comfy because the players had a good mood, good energy. Every day was really positive, and this makes it easier. And then everything went well. So I think it was the right step.”